on their toes. we're going to have the latest on the damage this morning. if you're headed back to work today, be careful on the roads. we're going to tell you what you can expect on that morning commute. it is wednesday, december the 26th. good morning, maryland, i'm charley crowson. >> i'm megan pringle. thanks for joining us. i hope you had a wonderful christmas. it is the day after which means

the malls will be busy with a lot of people having returns. hopefully you have the day off, but a lot of people have to go back to work. >> we'll get a check on the weather because the weather may be playing in those plans. mike massco is in for lynette. what's going on? >> we're starting out dry across the areas. certainly a cold morning, 20s in our far norlt and western suburbs and, again, we'll probably maintain that through the course of this morning. notice of winter weather advisory towards the north and west of the city, out towards carroll county and fredrick county. a wintery mix moving in during the course of the mornings and the afternoon. right now it's clear over the north of the state, but a couple hundred miles to the south and west of us. notice in about three hours we're going to start to see this batch of precipitation moving in and it will start as snow in a lot of spots. a burst of snow first, it goes over to the rain for the city as we head into the midday hour. still an ice situation toward the north and west. we'll break down the details, show you some numbers coming up in a little bit.

we'll get a check on the traffic over with lauren cook. >>reporter: good morning, mike. all that wintery mix will make the roads slick. no delays in white marsh, 95, nice and clear from route 43 all the way into it the city. if you are traveling on the beltway this morning, no delays from parkville all the way up to towson. as we check in and take a live look at the west side at liberty road, traffic moving right along, no problems getting down to route 40 or if you are traveling the inner loop up through pikesville. as we head up to hunt valley, here's what 83 looks like, nice and clear from schwann road down to the beltway. megan and charley, over to you. you can count december 26th as one of the most hectic travel day of the year. millions will be saying saying good-bye to loved ones and heading home today. getting home could take longer than anticipated because of some nasty weather out there across the southern u.s. travelers may be faced with delays and cancellations at airports. we did check bwi and it appears this morning everything will go along as planned. that could change as we

start to see bad weather make it to our area. not only could the rain and snow mix get in the way of flights, but it could also make traveling on the roads pretty tricky too. linda stow is out on york road this morning. linda, this could be impacting our roads today. things appear calm now, though, correct? >>reporter: we'll be fine for the morning rush, but as the day goes on things could change. things are clear on this stretch of york road in baltimore county, but we should be seeing a burst of snow around 9:00 this morning, then things will turn to rain. so as your day goes on expect your commute, any traveling you have to do on the road to get a lot more messy. it'll be like what we saw on christmas eve, about an inch of snow and then heavy rain, that means for the midday rush and into tonight's commute. things could get a lot dicier. and with a lot of people mix ng back home after could pose a big problem, especially if their travels take them through western maryland which could get up to a foot of snow and an ice storm. for those of you who have to venture out this morning, the

roads won't be too bad. you can see it's pretty quiet here along this stretch of york road but as the day goes on we'll see a burst of snow at around 9:00 this morning and then everything will be changing over to some heavy rain. so for the midday and evening commute, expect to take it a lot more slowly on the roads. we're live in insley, linda stow, abc 2 news. it was certainly an active weather day on christmas, so people in parts of the deep south. take a look at this video we want to show you. it's coming from alabama. a twister there was spotted along a highway in mobile. now, the strong storm downed trees and power lines. a high school was reported to have significant damage from that tornado. other parts of alabama saw a lot of rain and they're going to continue to get soaked today. and then there's mississippi, at least two poam there were killed as a result of the severe weather. in stone county, a tornado caused a lot of damage to trailer homes, and in jackson, mississippi, flooding was the issue interest, making it difficult for drivers to get to their holiday destinations. this morning there are reports of widespread power outages in

that community. to oklahoma now where about 10 people had to be taken to the hospital following a huge pileup. look at this. it involved 21 cars, including three big rigs. state police say freezing rain is likely the cause of this chain reaction crash and crews had to sut down a section of the interstate for hours to clean up the mess. the people that were taken to the hospital are all expected to be okay. and, remember, you can always get severe weather alerts sent right to your phone. all you have to do is download our abc 2 weather apps and we have a list of all the links on your iphone, ipad or android. just head to abc2news.com for more information. news time 4:35. back to a story we first reported last night as breaking news, christmas night tirn turns deadly in one carroll county town. a police officer shoots a man, killing him. it happened on commerce drive in tonytown. police say they were called to a home after reports of a man smashing windows in his truck with a hammer. when officers asked the man to put the hammer down, they say he kept walking towards them

and that's when they shot. the victim has been identified as 26-year-old edward becker. he was rushed to the hospital but later died from his wounds. the officer has been placed on routine leave. in the meantime, in glen burnie, is man is dead, shot while braking into a business. police say byron philip broke into the arundem corn shop. medics pronounced philip dead at the scene. police are not releasing the name of that employee and the shooting remains under investigation. news time right now 4:36. a body has been found in the burnt out house of an ex-con who killed two firefighters on christmas eve. authorities believe that person is william spankler's sister. he set the house on fire and then shot at first responders as they arrived to the scene. police say they found a three- page note that was left behind by spangler. >> he intended to burn his neighborhood down and kill as many people as possible before stopping. but as far as motive, all kinds

of speculation and truthfully we do not know. >> spangler served 17 years in prison for the murder of his grandmother. two other officers were hurt in the shooting and seven homes in spangler's neighborhood were busht. 4:37. back to the weather, things very severe yesterday across the southern u.s. and the midwest. oklahoma got hammered. >> so what's in store for today? here's meteorologist mike massco. >> how about everything we're expecting across the area. look at this, this is our planner. notice again just a chilly morning out there, 33 degrees. but here comes the snow, guys. it's going to be a burst of snow for the city, most spots over the eastern shore not going to be the deal. and then you go towards the north and west it will be an icy mix. 38 around 1:00 with heavy raines and gusty winds and rains developing around the 4:00 hour. the breakdown, snow to rain. a dusting, perhaps an inch in the colder pockets. to the north of this, this is where we're thinking snow/ice

rain combination in addition to two to three inches of snow it, that's in carroll county. and to the north and west, about 12 inches of snow and an ice storm just to the west of therma. we'll talk more about a few minutes. megan, over to you. this you gotta see, mike, check it out. it's a rocket that covers like a helicopter. the company spacex recently launched the dprashopper rocket. it hovers in the air and lands vertically and very softly instead of breaking up. it has the chance to save space life, as you can imagine, as save a lot of money. as a reusable rocket earlier this year. it takes cargo to the international space station and hopes to take people there in the very near future. we live in a go-go society with hefty work weeks and lengthy to-do lists. >> it's time to take out for your health. we have experts -- advice from the experts for your body to get that much needed rest.

we're going to tell you when you can begin buying your tickets for this upcoming big playoff game. megan and charley, everything is nice and clear here on interstate 97 at benson boulevard. i'll let you know what traffic looks like on 95 and 695 all coming up on "good morning maryland."

, oolg every eulg when haved even when you have a few days off, do you stay attached to your gadgets? it's hard to unplug. but as shown this morning, taking the time to unplug may ultimately save your life. >>reporter: the idea of a day of rest has biblical roots. even god took time off on the seventh day. today the world is a different place. we are a 24/7 planet with long to-do lists and plans. health experts say we need to slow down. >> everyone needs a stop day,

and for some that may involve going to a church or synagogue, for some that may mean doing the "new york times" crossword puzzle. but when we have that rhythm of rest and work, the work takes on more meaning. >>reporter: dr. matthew sleet, author of the book "24/6: a prescription for a happier, healthier life" examines the reasons we should take a day off. he says being on the go for most of us just means more stress to the body. >> we are pouring out those fight-or-flight hormones that are stress hormones. >>reporter: and overall those take a toll on our bodies. >> give us a higher blood pressure, they increase anxiety, depression, that sort of thing. >>reporter: so how can we stop? dr. sleet says cut out of the time-wasting habits. get your nose out of your computer. prioritize what's important to you and take that day off. even eating your food slowly helps you enjoy life in a more healthy way. and cut out the multitasking at least at home.

>> there's a thing that it the point of life isn't to see how fast you can get through it. >>reporter: so breathe. i'm holly ferfer. all right, gentlemen, when it comes to the best place to live for you, which city ranks best? well, it's not baltimore. men's health recently released the best cities for men and boise, idaho is number one. that magazine looked at air quality, unemployment, death rates and commute times. >> and dating is not in there. boise, idaho, are you kidding me? >> baltimore comes in at number 84 and d.c. a little bit better coming in at number 25, raising some interesting questions. >> that might be one of those the odds are good but the goods are odd. >> you can get a mean potato up in boise, idaho. >> you're going to be relocating to boise, probably, right, mike? >> oh, yeah. pack those bags. i might relocate after all this weather that's coming our way. rain, snow >> and could be affecting the roads. >>reporter: yes, later this

morning it's definitely going to have an impact. so take it slow. >> you and i are going to surf and turf today, it's all about traffic and weather. we get you outside and see what's going on out there, yeah, it's cold out there. 35 at the airport, 75% humidity. still a pretty dry atmosphere with that dewpoint at 25, but we'll start to moisten things up and then we'll get a burst of snow that will come in. take a look at temperatures around town, 32 in joppa. manchester, you're down to 29 degrees. everybody is below freezing. any precipitation that comes in will start as a little snow. it's a we weather advisory in carroll county, fredrick county, but out to the west where it could be an ice storm, all of garrett county, down into allegheny county, yeah, some problems today with ice and snow that will move in. take a look at maryland's most powerful radar overhead right now. but back down to the south, this is where the outer fringes of this storm is starlgt to -- starting to roll toward the north, just about three hours outside of the city. we are pinpointing arrival about 8:00 this morning. so the bottom line is everyone

will start as a burst of some snow. it's a rapid change to rain from the city on points to the south and east and could be a pretty dicey situation with ice to the north and west, right along 83 heading out toward the north and the west. we'll talk about that coming up through the show. here's storm number one for today. take a look back out to the west coast, that is storm number two. that could bring us maybe some snow as we go into the weekend. so futuretrend showing the rain and then here comes, again, the heavy rain during the course of the afternoon before everything lifts off toward the north and to the east as we go into your day today. in terms of how much snow, again, just outside the beltway, we're thinking a dusting to an irchl. higher amounts towards hagerstown. this is our icecast, ice ekreetion over parts of carroll county and towards the northern tier of the state and that could be a big deal as we go into this afternoon. it's 42 today, there's storm number one, ending as we go to thursday morning. it's 42 on friday with a blend of sunshine. i showed you that storm, by the way, out in the pacific. here comes the snow and rain, 38 degrees on saturday, and

we'll be into the 40s on monday and tuesday. we'll talk a little bit more about this storm, give you details on a hyperlocal map on what to expect. that's coming up in a few minutes. let's see what's cookin' on the roads, lauren cook. things will get interesting later. >>reporter: definitely, mike. if you are heading out later this morning, be sure to take it slow. fortunately nothing out there right now. it's nice and clear if you are heading heading downtown. 11-minute commute from the beltway southbound to fayette street. if you are heading out on 95 it, here's a look at 395. traffic moving right along. there are no problems getting through the fort mchenry tunnel or the harbor tunnel. here's a look at the west side of the beltway at baltimore national pike. just 11 minutes right now on the outer loop from 795 all the way down to 95. that's a look at your traffic. megan and charley, over to you. a father charged in the death of a 1--month-old baby will face a judge later today. 20-year-old father, deon wear, the man you see here was arrested and charged last month

in the death of cara deon wade. he's schedule today have a preliminary hearing in that case coming up later this morning. the president is cutting his holiday vacation short. president obama will leave hawaii later today. lawmakers are heading back to washington to consider how to prevent the economy from going over the so-called fiscal cliff. they have less than a week to come up with a solution or everybody's taxes are going up. you need to get ready for some round-the-clock gaming action at maryland live casino. beginning tomorrow customers will be able to enjoy nonstop action 24/7, 365. casino doors will swing open and remain open beginning at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. you want to see the raven's wildcard playoff game? tickets are available, but there are not a lot of them. a few thousand tickets will be available for public sale beginning this friday at 10:00 a.m. the ravens will play january 5th or 6th. you can get tickets through ticket master. today is the first day of quawns a. it's a celebration of community, family and culture.

the weeklong festivities end with a feast and exchange of gifts. unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, economics, creativity and earth. well, from christmas sales to christmas music 24/7, it is easy to forget that a lot of people don't celebrate the holiday. jewish volunteers in park heights may not observe christmas, but they were definitely full of holiday spirit. it was a midst a day at the jewish community center and people were busy making care packages to send to local homeless shelters. the packages contain water bottles, food, hats, dplofs, but the volunteers say that's not what people appreciate the most. >> when the woman that we handed it to, the first thing she took out was the card that said happy holidays. you can see that's what she wanted, she wanted to be part of the holiday spirit and for someone to wish her a happy holiday where people think they're just sitting around coloring, it was that piece of it that really meant the most to her. >> 1500 care packages were made

and delivered to local shelters and soup kitchens. >> what a great day. >> yeah, wonderful. stay with us this morning. a man putting chains on his tires lost his wedding ring in the heavy snow. ut-oh. lucky for him a snow chain installer found it. >> now also ahead this morning, one family turns their home into a winter wonderland for the holidays. we're going to tell you how many trees it took to create this festive board. i'm mike massco. we want to invite you to certainly download our storm shield app. you get watches and warnings, even our interactive radar that will track this storm. speaking of the storm, we'll talk timelines and your seven day coming up after this.

news around the nation on this wednesday morning, a somber christmas in a neighborhood in flint, michigan. two people were found dead inside a home cordoned off by

yellow crime scene tape. an area hospital. alive and family friend caroline broach was shocked and saddend when she first learned the news. >> they was good people. they didn't bother nobody, they didn't harm nobody. they came home and they was going to have christmas and they was supposed to have new year's. [ sobbing ] [ indiscernable ] >> local media reports indicate carbon monoxide poisoning could be to blame, but police have not confirmed that report. news time right now 4:52. it's like finding a needle in a haystack. a snow chain installer finds a silver wedding ring in the snow and now he's hoping to track down the owner. doug benadebti was working on a highway in california when he saw a man jogging up and down the road in a panic. he said that man lost his wedding ring while he was running. so benadetti was determined to help. he too started looking for it and eventually found it laying

there in the snow. the only problem, he never got a hold of the ring owner, he never got his number. now he's hoping somebody is going to see this story and get in touch with the man who lost it. also this morning you have to see this video, it's coming out of louisiana. a water spout, it was over a lake. you can see it forming there. and when it crossed a highway, it stopped traffic. as we mentioned earlier, this is the part of the country that saw some really wild weather over the christmas holiday with strong winds, heavy rains and tornadoes. >> that's like ponchartrain down in southern louisiana, when you consider the cities around there, new orleans is on the banks of lake ponchartrain. baton rouge not far away, hammond, another major city there, once again on the shores of ponchartrain, you know, mike, watching this, these cities were kind of spared from some of the really severe weather there. that could have turned into a tornado and been a real problem. >> sure. i'm very impressed with your whole layout of louisiana. >> ponchartrain is massive. all the cities just kind of wrap around it. >> either that or he spent a lot of time at mardi gras.

>> that's one of 34 tornado reports, that's preliminary. >> incredible. what happened yesterday? >> incredible. that storm is on its way up here, just no, sir as severe, all right? so let's get outside and we'll look at some of those temperatures across town. we're into the 30s, 29 in manchester this morning, so certainly a chilly morning. the city at 36 degrees. winter weather advisories to the north and west, carroll county, out towards fredrick county, that's where we're expecting a wintery mix and could be one to two inches of snow before all is said and done this morning. we're dry right now. your morning commute is okay. but you notice down to the south starting to see the outer fringes of this storm moving towards the north. just about three hours away from the city limits and this will come in as a burst of some snow before changing over to a pretty heavy rain scenario. so, again, snow/rain mix. just about a dusting to one inch just outside the beltway. the further north and west you head, snow to ice to rain. could be two to three inches of snow. and then you go outside of thermot, garrett and washington county, could be close to a foot of snow before all is said and done. we'll talk more about the storm

in your seven day coming up in a little bit. let's get a check on traffic. lauren cook in the traffic center. good morning, lauren. >>reporter: good morning, mike. the snow hasn't affected the traffic just yet. but that will all change later this morning. so definitely take it slow out there. up in hunt valley, 83 nice and clear. no delays from scwhann road down to 695. if you are traveling downtown, here's what 95 looks like at 395. traffic moving right through that fort mchenry tunnel. no delays through the hush tunnel either. as we take a look at the abc 2 time saver traffic drive times, 695 also in great shape. no problems on the east side. it's going to take you that normal 11 minutes on the outer loop from 95 up to 83. and 11 minutes on the west side on the outer loop from 795 down to 95. megan and charley, over to you. for some taking down the christmas tree can be a sad time because it signifies the end of the holidays. >> for allison stewart that, process is going to take longer than most. she has 103 christmas trees inside and houdz her home. each has a different theme. the addiction to pine trees started about 13 years ago with

the birth of her daughter and it only grew from there. >> people are, like, it's you who made this happen? yeah, it's me. i love the forest to begin with and i love pine trees, they're my favorite tree and they have so many different kinds of pine trees now available. >> stewart starts putting up the trees in october. even though the house looks like it couldn't hold another tree, she is planning more for next year. >> 103 trees. that's impressive. a lot of cleanup. well, they were the youngest victims in the sandy hook elementary shooting. >> yeah. coming up this morning at 5:00, what the children's chapel and washington national cathedral are doing to honor those innocent lives. also ahead this morning, this little guy stolen from the humane society. we're going to tell you how social media helped to get him back to his family.

couple of minutes away from 5:00 right now. and time is running out to submit your homested tax credit application. the deadline is december 31st.

now, this is a tax credit that up until now you would get automatically. in 2007 the state legislature passed a law requiring all homeowners to submit an application. we had five -- we had a five- year grace period and now that's over, so you have to fill out that form. geb, the deadline is the 31st. if you thought the stores were packed in the final days leading up to christmas, you may not want to go out today. shoppers are going to be back in the malls to return those unwanted gifts. also cashing in on those gift cards and despite the madness at those stores, retail sales are the weakest on record since 2008. they are spending their christmas half a world away. >> yeah. coming up this morning at 5:00, how are you doing this morning? how some soldiers [ no audio ] the way. we do have breaking news overnight. it was a tough night for the maryland state police in